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We’re bringing you Market Close as day one of the RIU Resurgence conference wraps up here at the Westin Hotel in Perth. There’s been quite a buzz with about 35 to 40 companies represented and a real focus on uranium and lithium opportunities.
The ASX200 has closed today flat, down by the smallest of margins. The utilities sector was strongest, gaining about a per cent, while real estate was the poorest performer, down 1.5 per cent.
In the green
Fashion jewellery company Lovisa Holdings (ASX:LOV) added just over half a per cent on its FY24 trading update and annual general meeting (AGM) today.
The international retailer’s store sales were down more than six per cent for the first 20 weeks of FY24 on the same period in FY23, but overall sales were up 17 per cent.
The company has focussed on expanding its footprint, opening of 35 new stores in the financial year to date, bringing the global network to 836 stores.
Lovisa expects to open its first stores in Vietnam and mainland China within a month.
LOV closed trade at $18.37.
Patriot Battery Metals (ASX:PMT) was up nearly six per cent on the preliminary results of its drilling at its Corvette project in the James Bay region of Quebec, Canada.
While assay results are still to be received, Patriot’s Management says the presence of spodumene, including 100m nearly continuous hit in the final hole, pointed to the project’s scale potential.
PMT closed trade at $1.11.
And smart glass company, ClearVue (ASX:CPV) gained about 12 per cent on signing a new distributor in the US. The distributor is a company called 8G Solutions and it’ll market ClearVue’s solar-integrated glass units (IGUs) to Colorado, Missouri and Arizona under a five-year agreement.
CPV closed at 47 cents.
In the red
Healthcare company Healius (ASX:HLS) lost 33 per cent after completing the institutional component of an entitlement offer. The company raised a total of about $154 million at $1.20 per new share – which was a 35 per cent discount to market trade.
Healius says it will use the proceeds from the entitlement offer to reduce its net debt and reset its balance sheet.
It will now push ahead with a retail entitlement offer in a bid to raise a further $33 million.
Healius closed trade at $1.22.
Exploration company Latin Resources (ASX:LRS) was down nearly 10 per cent despite announcing it’s seen coarse spodumene during exploration at its Salinas project in Brazil. The 45 metres of cumulative spodumene is 1.8 kilometres from its Colina project. the company is calling the new discovery Planalto. In the absence of assay results, which are due in 4-6 weeks, the company has labelled the find as a major step in building its Colina resource.
LRS closed at 19 cents.
And battery materials and technology company Talga Group (ASX:TLG) was down three per cent after securing a $31 million environmental bond facility for its Vittangi Anode Project in Sweden.
The funding, from leading European company Atradius, will be used to meet environmental permit requirements for the planned construction and operation of Talga’s graphite mine and battery anode refinery.
TLG closed at $1.08.
